The ARK is probably the most high performance SE knife ever made

[JohnAPA]

I like this knife so much I actually ordered a second one since the SE is discontinued. I've had it on me pretty much all day everyday since getting it, and I'm really surprised how handy a neck knife is especially when sitting down/in a car. I really hate that I'm a Johnny-come-lately with this, I've missed out on so much.


I have to say though, I'm not in love with the sheath. I also have a CRKT/Foltz Minimalist and that sheath is fantastic, it snaps tightly in place and has just the slightest amount of jiggle. By comparison my ARK literally rattles, and I would really prefer the "safety" wasn't there at all and the sheath just pinched the tang tighter like the Minimalist sheath does because the sheath blocks my index finger when drawing and it turns the draw into a 2 hand draw. I made a little 2 inch fob that helps with drawing, but I'd really prefer to not need it.

Good lord I want one, but the sheath is a deal breaker. What's the point of a neck knife when it's going to feel like you're wearing a deck of cards around your neck, and there's no 24K rope to back it up? (and no hoes)

[Blnd]

Soooo... it’s a fixed blade dragonfly?

[paladin]

Sage advice for Civilian, Paramilitary, or Military when finding themselves in need of Rescue from a Drunken, Insistent, and Tenacious Renegade or some other Tuff Cat-- Have your Always Ready Knife At The Ready and it will Assist you in maintaining your Pride and Respect.

[cabfrank]

Soooo... it’s a fixed blade dragonfly?

Blade size is similar, but different grind, handle size is closer to Manbug, but different shape.

[40mm]

Anyone know where I can still source a serrated Ark?

[Evil D]

Anyone know where I can still source a serrated Ark?

At this point you may have to watch for one on eBay, but doing a search found this site that seem to be in stock, it let me add it to my cart at least.

https://www.countryknives.com/shop-by-d ... pyderedge/

[40mm]

Appreciate the help Evil D. How are the scales holding onto the tang on that little knife by the way? Just noticed there aren't any screws/ fasteners. If anyone has a serrated ARK they aren't using, please shoot me a PM. I'd like to try one out but not at the price they're asking on that website.

Anyone know where I can still source a serrated Ark?

At this point you may have to watch for one on eBay, but doing a search found this site that seem to be in stock, it let me add it to my cart at least.

https://www.countryknives.com/shop-by-d ... pyderedge/

[Evil D]

Appreciate the help Evil D. How are the scales holding onto the tang on that little knife by the way? Just noticed there aren't any screws/ fasteners. If anyone has a serrated ARK they aren't using, please shoot me a PM. I'd like to try one out but not at the price they're asking on that website.

Well it's molded on, and since we can't see what's underneath I just hope the shape of the tang underneath is shaped so the FRN can't slip off like I've seen in some kitchen knives. So far it's holding up fine though.

[Josh Crutchley]

Appreciate the help Evil D. How are the scales holding onto the tang on that little knife by the way? Just noticed there aren't any screws/ fasteners. If anyone has a serrated ARK they aren't using, please shoot me a PM. I'd like to try one out but not at the price they're asking on that website.

Well it's molded on, and since we can't see what's underneath I just hope the shape of the tang underneath is shaped so the FRN can't slip off like I've seen in some kitchen knives. So far it's holding up fine though.

I found this picture of the Aqua Salt so I assume it's similar to this.

[40mm]

Yea i was guessing that the tang has variation like that so it "grips" the frn. I was picturing something like how the Mora Eldris is done.

[Buddafucco]

Anyone know where I can still source a serrated Ark?

PM'd

[40mm]

Appreciate it brother!

Anyone know where I can still source a serrated Ark?

PM'd

[bjz]

The serrated ark has quickly become one of my favorites. I thought I had a backup sources from a dealer but turns out it was really just a plain edge…so back to the search.

If anyone knows of a dealer that still has one available, please point me in the right direction! Thanks much

[Evil D]

If anyone knows of a dealer that still has one available, please point me in the right direction! Thanks much

This is still showing in stock.

https://www.countryknives.com/shop-by-d ... pyderedge/

[bjz]

If anyone knows of a dealer that still has one available, please point me in the right direction! Thanks much

This is still showing in stock.

https://www.countryknives.com/shop-by-d ... pyderedge/

I did see that…and decided that at that price point, I’d prefer to stick it out and put the $$$ toward trying to pick up a swick. I appreciate the reminder though, thanks!!

Ps, you and a few others here are responsible for my current preference for SE blade options…my pocket thanks you, but the pocketbook is still on the fence!

[Evil D]

Thought I'd break down some small boxes today, which lead to breaking down a much larger box too.

This knife...I'm telling you right now, if Spyderco would just make a wharnie version of this knife with maybe 1 inch more blade length, with the exact same handle...oh my what a ridiculous knife that could be. My only real issue with this knife is the strong up-sweep in the blade greatly reduces how much cutting power translates into the tip during cuts. The same knife design in a wharnie would fix this, but it could be so much more with a little more blade length too.


Anyway here's some pics. I started with these little guys:



Which combined added up to 414 cuts:



The edge was looking great and still quite sharp:



So I decided to slice up this one too:



Which resulted in another 637 cuts, however many of these were ~12 inches long or so, so the total number of "cuts" could be looked at as more or less than that going by whatever length you consider a "cut" to be.



The biggest problem with making ~1000 cuts with this knife is how thin the blade spine is. The thin blade does make it a crazy slicer but it also makes ergonomics kinda suck after a while, where this is less of an issue with a wider blade to distribute the force onto. How cool would it be to have a Cobra Hood on something like this? There's even a wee bit of blister trying to pop up on that thumb now.




The edge did quite well and was still cutting fine afterwards. No chips/rolls or other edge damage. Also note that this knife has not been reprofiled or rounded off and has only seen light sharpening before this and it's not one bit snaggy.






The main reason I am BEGGING for a wharnie version of this knife is because I got a lot of these kinds of cuts where the blade came out of the box towards the end of my cutting arc:



I could successfully counter that by angling the blade inward more which focuses most of the cut on the heel of the blade. This also means that the vast majority of these cuts were more push cut than slices and most of the wear was focused on a very small section of blade that's only around 1 inch in length. If I could get this knife with a Yojimbo style blade it would be amazing.

[cabfrank]

I think you have inspired me to carry mine today. I have the day off, so I will carry it around the house and yard, and see if I can find anything to cut. I really like mine, but don't carry it often. My state, CA, at least where I live in the state, allows carry of any size folder. All concealed fixed blades are illegal though. It is hard for a knife this size not to be "concealed", so I don't carry it much. It's weird that a Jumpmaster hanging off my pocket is perfectly fine, but that's another topic.

[Evil D]

I think you have inspired me to carry mine today. I have the day off, so I will carry it around the house and yard, and see if I can find anything to cut. I really like mine, but don't carry it often. My state, CA, at least where I live in the state, allows carry of any size folder. All concealed fixed blades are illegal though. It is hard for a knife this size not to be "concealed", so I don't carry it much. It's weird that a Jumpmaster hanging off my pocket is perfectly fine, but that's another topic.

Seems you'd have to carry it around your neck on the outside of your shirt?

[cabfrank]

I guess. I don't have the breakaway chain though.

[vivi]

David,

Are you planning to get the Swick?

It looks to have all of the pros and none of the cons comparing it to the Ark, and you'll have your wish of a longer wharnie blade.

I tried really hard to like the Ark. I wanted a good rust proof EDC fixed blade, but the Ark didn't work for me in the end.

The spydiehole ruined the ergos for me, and like you I felt the deep belly made it difficult to cut things without having them slip off the blade, so I modded mine:



This improved the ergos a ton, and made it easier to control in cuts, but it was still just too small for me to want to carry it as my only knife, and I always had retention issues with my sheath.

I think the LC200N Ark is going to be a home run. It has much better ergonomics for me, the wider blade stock gives the thumb a more comfortable spot, full four finger grip, longer blade is more versatile, and its still compact, lightweight and rust proof like the Ark.